Automatic stoker.



H. L. WILLIAMS. AUTOMATIC STOKER. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 7, 1912.

1,096,877.` Patented May 19, 1914.

TME-@.5555

H. L. WILLIAMS. AUTOMATIC STOKER.

` APPLICATION FILED 00T. 7, 1912. 1,096,877.

a sums-SHEET 2. jdd

Patented May 19, 1914.

H. L. WILLIAMS. AUTOMATIC STOKER.

.096,8'77. APPLICATION Hm om? m2' Patented May 19, 1914l :5.5. 7 w

HARRY L. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLHTOIS.

AUTOMATIC STOKE'R.

` Specification of Letters atent. 'Application led October 7, 1912.

Patented May 19, 1914.

serial No. '224,265

T0 all @from #may concern Be 1t known that I, HARRY L. lViLLrAivrs, citizen of the United States7 residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Statev of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Automatic Stokers,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in 4 automatic stokers especially of the type designed foruse 1n connection with locomotive f boilers though the mechanism is also adapted for use with any type of furnace.

The especial object of the improvements hereinafter described in detail is to provide an automatic stoker in which some of the.

formation of clin er, and to improve the combustion by introducing ythe air to the bed of coals.

A further object of my invention is to provide mechanism for accomplishing the result set forth which will be simple in construction and therefore easily operated and not liable to get out of order or break down 'from ordinary use.l

A further object is to provide an automatic stoking device in which the lordinary fire door opening is utilized for introducing the coal from the Stoker, and to provide means whereby the stoker maybe- 'readily disconnected so as to permit access to the involved in my invention.

feed doorway for hand stoking before steam has been raised in the boiler, or ir case accidents should happen to the stoking mechanism which would put it out of commission.

Having the foregoing and other utilities in view which will be apparent to those skilled in Vthe art, I have designed the stoking mechanism illustrated in a preferred form and arrangement in the accompanying drawing but wish to loe understood that details may be materially modified without departing from the spirit and essential ideas Referring to the accompanying drawing :#Figure l represents partly in section and partly in side elevation, my improved automatic Stoker-applied to a locomotive furnace only so much of the latter being shown as illustrates the relative arrange-` ment and connection between the furnace and stoker; Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective fragmentary detail of a pawl and its mounting which is used in operating the grate of the furnace; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in perspective of the coal passer which forms an important feature of my improved Stoker; Fig. It is a front elevational view of the lower portion of a locomotive furnace with my stoker applied thereto; Fig. 5 is a Jfragmentary detail enlarged showing the mounting of the grate of the furnace; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the cam and adja cent members which constitute important parts of the coal agitating means; Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the furnace grate and the coal agitator .the walls of the furnace being shown in section; Fig. 8 is a viewj partly in section and partly in elevation, of the coal passer and the chute in which it operates.

Referring to the details of the drawing, 9 represents generally a furnace of conventional form1 having a front wall 9 in which is a feed door openng 9". At the t'our corners of the furnace I have provided inclined plates 9c, the lower edges of which rest upon the lower flange 9d of the furnace'which forms a rim surrounrfling the grate. The members 9 serve to deflect the coal within the furnace upon the circular grate l0 and facilita-te` a more even combustion of lthe fuel than when the corner spaces are left without such deiiecting means. The grate l0 is of circular form and on the lower surface of its periphery has formed inclined teeth 10. The grate is also provided with the usual openings 10b, all of which are clearly shown in Fig. 7.

l1 represents the lower portion of Vthe coal chute which is attached to the front wall of the furnace by suitable bolts passing through a wing or extension 11. The upper portion of. the chute is preferably made detachable as at llL with a flange l1 which overhangs the upper edge of the lower portion of the chute. In the top ll is a hopper 1lb adapted to receive the coal from any suitable source of supply either mechanically o` manually introduced. If desired the top 11 may be bolted to the lower portion 11 but I prefer to so arrange it that it may be readily removed. The upper portion ll is divided into a curved conduit ll" hy a bottom Wall side walls of the chute are vertical and parallel. The rear or outer wall is curved in the are of a circle and the bottom is entirely open.

- snugly the side and rear walls of the hop Aupper and lower sides with lips 12e, 125, saidl mouth and lips forming essentially a pocket adapted to receive a certain amount of coal from the hopper 11b and to carry it upwardly and forwardly through the feed The passer is mounted to rewith its walls fitting per.

Secured to the front wall 9a of the furnace by. bolts 13a is a vertical plate 13 which is formed with an angular arm 18b extending rearwardly and is also formed with an eX- tension 13 which terminates at its lower end in a journal bearing 13d. A rod 14 is slidably mounted in the arm 13b and has its updoorway 9b. ciprocate in the chute per end connected by a bolt 15a with the lower end of the piston rod'l the piston of V which is mounted in the usual manner in the cylinder 1G, and the latter is supplied with steam from any suitable source and in any approved manner through the pipe 16a. Pivotally connected-with the bolt lfl is a link 17 which is also pivoted to a crank arm 17 mounted on a shaft 18 which is journaled in the side walls of the chute 11 and passes through the opening 12c in the passer 12 so that the rocking of the shaft 18 will reciprocate the passer 12. The lower end of the bar 14 is ivotally connected at 19a with the upper en of a link 19 the lower end of which is connected with the crank 2O which is keyed on the rock shaft- 21. The latter shaft is journaled in a bearing 13d of the plate 13c and also in the lower ends of brackets 22 which are connected at 22L wit-h the side wall of the furnace.

Pinned on the rock shaft 21 is an arm 23 in the upper free end of which is pivotally mounted the pawl 24. which is so formed and arranged as to engage the vertical face of the. teeth 10a of the grate bar when the arm 23 is rocked in one direction and to drag over the inclined walls of the teeth when said bar rocks inthe reverse direction. The relative arrangement of teeth 10a and pawl 24 is such that at each forward rocking movement of the bar 23 the grate will be partially rotated.

Keyed upon the shaft 21 is a cam 25 on the working face of which are formed a se- 4ries of shallow and rounded teeth 25a.

Thes/e teeth frictionally engage a rollcr 26 mounted in a bracket 2Ga which is pendant from a horizontal plate 27. Extending upwardl Afrom the plate 27 are two pairs of legs 2 a"the upper ends of which are secured to a segmental plate 28. This plater is prof when said agitator is raised.

vsoon after it hasv a such Loads?? vided in its upper surface with a series of vertical teeth 28,a which are adapted to project through the openings 10b The legs 27a slide loosely in vertical grooves 29c formed in the side walls of the grate supporting bar 29. This bar is provided with the usual arms 29a for tilting the grate and is supported from the furnace in the brackets 29". The connection between the grate 1() and grate supporting bar 29 is by the usual central stud 29d.

The relative arrangement of the grate rotating arm 23 and the cam 25 is such that during the rotation of the grate the agitator 28 is in its lowermost position as shown in Figs. l and 4,' so that it will not interfere with the operation of the grate and when the latter is at rest the agitatory will be moved upwardly through the engagement of the cam surface'25a with the wheel267 the lingers or pins 28al passing through the grate bar and into the bed of coals'above same. As the grate is designed tovrotate in the directionv indicated by the arrow a, shown in Fig. 7, the agitator will act upon the coal been delivered to the lire in the grate 10 box thus introducing the oxygen necessary to facilitate proper combustion.

The arrangement of the agitator 28 is that it will not interfere with the dump-' ing of the grate, it being understood that this dumping is effected by throwing the arms ,29a in the direction indicated by the arrows b. The pawl 24 with its supporting arm 23 will furnish a support forthe forward portion of the grate 10.

In actual practice coal will be conducted to the hopper 11b by a suitable mechanical forming structure its funcwhie'h the eonveyer such conveyer, however, no part of this invention as the is capable of performing all of tiens regardlessv of the manner in coal is introduced to said hopper.

From the construction disclosed and described it will be apparent that if suitable pressure is provided to reciprocate a piston mounted in the cylinder 16 against the load carried by said piston the passer 12 will be reciprocated within the chute 11 and any coal introduced to the hopper 11b when the passer is in its lowermost position will fall into the pocket 12d and when the passer is carried to its uppermost position through the arc of its movement the coal within Athe pocket 12d will 'be carried to the feed door opening 9b and there dropped upon the grate or the bed of coals above the grate.

' By suitable devices not necessary to'de'- scribe the piston will be controlled so as to feed the coal in small quantities at frequent intervals thereby producing the most .eiiicient -results from a fuel combustion and steam producing standpoint. As the grate is rotated step b v step during the feeding ,be seen that the piston in of coal to the fire bed,

fire bed. It will thus the cylinder 16 controlled by any fluid pressure either air, Water or steam, will operate the three instrumentalities, to wit: the passer 12, the grate rotating members 23, 24:, and the coal agitator 28. It will also be seen that if access is desired to the fire bed through the opening 9b independently of the Stoker, the chute section 11a may be disconnected from the lower member 1l and the opening will be uncovered so that free access may be had thereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and ters Patent, is j l. In a furnace, in combination with a rotatable grate, means for agitating fuel on the grate, said means comprising a plural ity of fingers adapted tov be projected upwardly through the grate openings, and means for intermittently projecting said fingers, said means comprising a cam, a roeleshaft operating said cam, and means on said shaft adapted to rotate the grate ina horizontal plane when said fingers are below the grate and at rest.

2. In a furnace, in combination with a rotatable grate7 means for agitating fuel on the grate, said means comprising a plate arranged below the central portion of the desire to secure by Let- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the grate and having projections extending upwardly therefrom, means for vertically an intermittently reciprocating said plate, said means comprising a cam and a rock-shaft carrying sald cam,and means for horizontally rotating the grate when the plate is at rest, said means carried and operated by said rock-shaft.

3. In a furnace, a circular rotatable grate having projections on its under side, a plate arranged below said grate and having upwardly extending projections adapted to enter openingsin the grate, means for reciprocating said plate, and means engaging the projections on the grate to rotate the latter, all of said means operable from a common shaft, and power driven means for rocking said shaft.

l. In a furnace, a circular grate, a plate arranged below said. grate and having ngers extending upwardly therefrom adapted to be projected through said grate, a rock-shaft, an arm mounted on said shaft and adapted with said shaft to intermittently rotate said grate, and means on saitl shaft for intermittently operating said plate.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY L. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

F. BENJAMIN, Mrs. M. WILLIAMS.

"Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

